Biosecurity (Process for Assignment of Responsibility for Decision on Harmful Organism or Pathway) Regulations 2016.

These regulations, consisting of 17 sections and one Schedule, set out the process for the Minister responsible for the administration of the Biosecurity Act 1993 to assign responsibility for a decision on the appropriate response to an issue relating to a harmful organism or pathway. The process involves: an application requesting that the Minister assign responsibility for the decision; the Director-General giving the Minister initial advice on the merits of the application; the Minister making an initial decision on whether to consider the application; the Director-General consulting with parties potentially affected by the assignment of responsibility; the Director-General giving the Minister final advice on whether to assign responsibility for the decision and, if so, to whom; the Minister making final decisions on whether to assign responsibility for the decision and, if so, to whom; the Minister notifying the applicant, the parties to whom the Minister assigns responsibility, and the public of the final decisions made. If the responsible Minister is satisfied that the issue to which an application relates needs to be addressed urgently: the process is shortened; the Minister may assign interim responsibility for the decision to a department or regional council until the final decision is made.